School uniform for very small reception twins

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We have twin sisters starting in reception at our school in September. They are very small for their age and have just gone into age 2 clothes. I’m working with the parents to try to find school uniform solutions.

The smallest size I’ve found in anything is 2-3 but there isn’t much available and I can’t find summer dresses in that size at all.

Has anyone found that age 2-3 clothes can be easily altered to fit a smaller child? If it was just a question of taking hems up it wouldn’t be a problem but it’s also shoulders, waists and so on.

Any ideas very welcome.

M&S start at 3 I think for school uniform, and they often have 'slim' / 'skinny' versions of the polos, skirts etc, which might help a little. With pinafore dresses you could add an extra button and you could possibly cross the straps of a larger size. Many of the M&S Gingham dresses have a tie waist. DD is incredibly skinny and we find they work for her, though she is of average height.

If you are not too fussy about the exact designs of the gingham dresses, then JoJoMamanBebe often has gingham in various colours in the summer collection. They might have a frilly collar or detail, but might be the best option unless you want to get fabric and patterns. If money isn't an issue then a seamstress might be able to make a couple each from a pattern, using the right sized gingham.

If you've got a mend-it type club in your town, where you can take clothes and kitchen tools etc to be fixed, then they often have some older ladies who know how to darn etc, who might be prepared to help.

And as a really wild suggestion, what about something like World War 2 clothing forums? People often cut down larger dresses for younger siblings during rationing. There might be suggestions.

Hello. Marks and Spencer’s have a large collection in age 2-3, they also have summer dresses (not sure what the uniform colour is tho).

Their skirts have adjustable waists ( the boys trousers do and are great - I have a 4 year old on the dinky size so uniform was hard to find!)

Realistically though they won’t need summer dressss until summer 2021 which by that time they should hopefully be the next size up? Or better fitting.

www.marksandspencer.com/girls-gingham-pleated-dress/p/clp60433805?color=MIDBLUE

Will they not gave grown in 7 months time?

Have*

I agree with M&S!!
I have a tiny 4 year old and the 2-3 polo shirts fit her well

I’ve always managed to shrink school uniform in the dryer, might be worth asking current parents for any old uniform that is too small.
Smallest size dresses could have the hem turned up and waist pulled in with a loose tied belt, as long as not pleated or fussy on the skirt. Sainsbury’s and Matalan had that style, but a bit early possibly for much stock to be out. They also do single colour cardigans and jumpers, the cardigans are at least designed to just hang a bit so might not look so big.
Reception class here is allowed to wear black joggers as they found many couldn’t manage to use the toilet otherwise. Those come in all sizes. Don’t know if that’s an option.
How strict is the uniform? Given the fairly unusual circumstances with these children I would expect a bit of leeway around ‘official’ suppliers.

My DD is not THAT small or skinny and when she was in age 4 clothing generally the 3-4 summer dresses from M&S fit her. I expect the 3-4 dresses will be too big for this pair. The age 4 were almost down to her socks rather than too big around (she is small and generally skinny but has a barrel chest).

I put her in trousers mainly as you can both take them up and take in the waist with the buttonhole elastic (oh, and she has a big brother so we have loads of hand me downs). Shorts should work the same?

These are fantastic suggestions - thank you! The gingham dresses are red and sometimes the children come back in them in September if it’s still warm. But of course they don’t have to.

I will have a look at M&S and the other suggestions. The mum says the clothes that fit them best at the moment are actually baby clothes, but of course they are little girls and want to wear the same clothes as their friends.

I stand corrected, I didn't realise the smallest size in some styles is 2-3.

Why not buy poloshirts in the smallest size and then tumble dry them so they are smaller and then they may fit. A pair of black trousers will be easy to come by as they do them for all ages. I wouldnt worry about dresses or skirts it will be ages before its warm enough for them.

Will they not gave grown in 7 months time?

A bit, maybe, but I didn’t want to give out too much information about why they may not, in case it’s identifiable.

Yes tumble drying too - our school sweaters are polyester and shrink about two sizes in the tumble dryer, which would be useful in your case.

My DD was given a yellow gingham dress from Asda that was in age 2-3 and it was on the small side as well, so should fit the children in your OP comfortably.

For my dinky DD starting nursery - so rising 4 but more like a small 2/3 - the answer was a second hand age 3 pinafore dress that had been well worn and shrunk already!

White T shirts instead of polos?

The jersey skirts you can get in supermarkets (Sainsburys for my DD) have a wide elastic at the waist that you could easily shorten, and come up pretty short anyway.

I had this problem as one of my twins was and is very tiny! M&S and next, I also remember TU at Sainsbury's had some very small pinafores in which are much more forgiving if a little big x

We are very flexible about uniform as we have a large cohort of children with special needs, some of whom need to wear something that’s not officially “uniform”. But the girls themselves want to wear the same as their classmates - they’re the same in our nursery class.

Shrinking in the tumble dryer sounds like a popular solution too - thank you!

Next start at age 3

I would try Next they are generally a bit slimmer than M&S.

They won't need summer dresses until April next year surely, and winter uniform in six months time. Most parents buy big don't they? Could they buy a size 2-3 in trousers with an adjustable waist and then take them up? My DS started school in a polo shirt just small enough to not look like a dress and his first uniform fitted for two years.

forget summer dresses.
I never understand why people bother for september. A skirt and T-shirt is hardly too warm

Pinafore dresses are the best bet, as they do not depend on waist measurement, and you can much mire easily make something shorter than alter in any other way.
white polos don't get much wider, they just get longer, so a slightly longer polo under a pinafore that has been taken up a bit would work.

The hardest part maybe seatshirt/cardi.
I would think that you can get a plain coloured cardi in a non uniform range.
If the cardi shoudl be logoes, then I would ask for a second hand sweatshirt from another parent (or out of lost property that hasn't been claimed) I say these options as you sound as if you are the school and could help?
Then sew the logo on to a plain smaller sweatshirt

Skirt and polo from M&S slim fit or Next. DS was small though not quite that small, but they start in small sizes.

They won't need summer dresses until April next year surely, and winter uniform in six months time.

Sorry, I explained upthread that some of our children come back in summer uniform in September if the weather is warm. Obviously if they haven’t managed to find summer dresses small enough, these girls won’t be able to, though.

I’m hoping that the sweatshirt can be sorted by buying a very small size and asking the company who stitch the logo for us to just do a couple of one-offs for them (the company is local so I can just pop into their shop).